The present invention relates generally to the field of collapsible containers and in particular to a new and useful folding container formed from conjoined rigid and flexible layers for holding solid items.
Collapsible or knockdown trays and boxes and other containers are useful for temporarily holding a variety of items. Collapsible trays and boxes are more easily stored than fixed-panel containers since they can take up less space. At the same time, when assembled, some collapsible containers can have comparable strength to fixed, rigid containers.
Materials known for use in making collapsible containers include paper materials in particular, such as cardboard, cardstock and coated papers.
Multi-layer paneled containers are generally disclosed in the art, such as by U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,689 for a flexible container for holding flowable materials. The patent teaches forming the walls of the container by removably inserting a rigid panel inside pockets created by two flexible layers. The rigid panels are not fixed in the pockets. The patent does not disclose what material is used to make the flexible or rigid layers.
Other patents disclose folding containers, such as U.S. Pat. No. 241,254 for a folding tray having a base panel, two side panels and two end panels. The side panels include end projections which fold over the adjacent end panel when the tray is assembled. The patent discloses that it is known to secure the end projections using wire staples, tacks, eyelets. The tray uses an adhesive on a strip of wood veneer, paper or fabric secured to the end panels to hold the end projections in place. The tray may be made of a thin wood veneer or pasteboard.
A tray made by folding a flexible sheet is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 798,264. A pie-shaped unitary blank has scored corner sections for folding up side panels of the blank to form a pie-shaped tray. The rear wall of the blank is slit so that the panel may be folded up to form the curved wall. The corners of the folded blank may be secured using glue applied to the folds of the corners.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,006,811 discloses a triangular cardboard blank for folding into an ash tray. The side panels of the ash tray fold upwardly and tabs and corresponding slots in the corners of the ashtray are used to secure the tray in the assembled position. The cardboard may be coated with a flame-resistant ink.
A collapsible lunch bag having snap fasteners for holding the bag in an assembled position is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 2,831,624. The corners of a unitary rectangular blank are creased along diagonals between side and end panels, folded along the creases, and folded over end panels. The end panel has one half of a snap fastener, while one of the folded corners has a corresponding snap and the other corner has apertures for permitting the snap halves to connect. The lunch bag is made of a flexible paperboard or plastic.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,714 discloses a collapsible toy box which can be made of cardboard or a plastic. The box is made of a single layer only.
U.S. Patent Des. 358,936 illustrates the design of an antenna tool kit having a triangular shape with folded over top edges which can be secured to the sides of the kit by snap connectors. The kit has a very sharp triangular shape, with straight sides which are joined together along a majority of the length of their adjacent edges.
The prior known collapsible containers primarily rely upon paperboard or pasteboard as the supporting layer for the container. In some cases, the paperboard is coated with a protective layer. None of the prior collapsible containers includes multiple layers of different rigidity but similar thicknesses.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a collapsible container having rigid connected panels which are easily folded and secured in an assembled position.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a collapsible container having two different exposed surface layers which may be assembled with either layer on the outside of the container.
Accordingly, a collapsible container is provided having a generally planar blank formed from two layers of different materials laminated and sewn together. The two layers are a flexible layer and a rigid or semi-rigid layer. Each blank has a base panel and at least three side panels. Both the blank and the base panel have a general shape with a number of sides corresponding to the number of side panels; that is, a blank with three side panels will have a generally triangular shaped base panel and blank, while a blank with four side panels will have a generally rectangular shaped base panel and blank.
The flexible layer of the blank is a single piece which includes each of the side panels and the base panel, so that joints between the adjacent edges of the side panels are formed with the base panel in the flexible layer. The other edges of the side panels are not connected to any other panel.
The rigid or semi-rigid layer is not composed of a single, unitary piece, but, rather, separate pieces shaped the same as each side and base panel. The separate rigid pieces are laminated and sewn to the appropriate panel of the flexible layer.
A container may be assembled from a blank of the invention by folding the side panels up so that adjacent panel corners overlap each other. The corners are secured to each other.
The sides of the containers are not air-tight, but are sufficiently rigid to hold the shape of the container when solid objects are placed in the container. The containers tend to have a rounded appearance resulting from the connection between the sides. The upper and lower edges of the side panels and the edges of the base panel may each be rounded as well, further enhancing the rounded appearance. While it is preferred that the flexible layer is on the inside of the assembled container, due to the rigid layer being discontinuous at the joints, the blanks are reversible.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.